Diversity and inclusion

We aim to be a leading employer that attracts talented people from a broad range of disciplines and backgrounds. By fostering a culture of inclusion, we can leverage and grow the diversity of our workforce. Our diversity and inclusion (D&I) vision is “to see, feel and live diversity – diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, generation, sexual orientation (LGBT), physical abilities and experiences – at all levels, functions and regions of Swiss Re”.

Such an inclusive corporate culture is essential for a diverse workforce, given the diversity of thought, opinion and experience this helps to create. In essence, inclusion is about respecting the uniqueness of every individual and about providing an atmosphere in which everyone feels valued and empowered to perform at a consistently high level. Thus diversity and inclusion is motivating for our employees, helps to attract fresh talent and is good for bottom-line results.

There is strong evidence that diverse teams outperform non-diverse ones. As diverse teams avoid group think − and therefore institutional blindness − they can respond more quickly to changes in the external environment. Furthermore, a strong representation of local talent is crucial to developing new markets, which is one of our key strategic priorities.

To foster diversity and inclusion across the whole organisation, we have set up a comprehensive strategic framework. Backed by the Group CEO and the Group Executive Committee, our diversity & inclusion agenda is driven by a network of 35 D&I Champions, who are senior managers from a wide range of business units, in addition to multiple geographically-based D&I Councils and 25 inclusive employee networks at grassroots level worldwide.

For more information see Diversity